The U.S. Navy conducted another FONOP (freedom of navigation operation) in the South China Sea. This one consisted of an American aircraft carrier task force (a nuclear powered carrier and its escorts). Filipino military and political officials were flown to the carrier to witness air operations conducted while the carrier moved through waters China now claims as Chinese territory. This means moving within the claimed territorial (closer than 22 kilometers) of some of the islands China now claims. China issues warnings and accuses the Americans of troublemaking because of these FONOPS. There were five South China Sea FONOPs in 2018 and even more than that so far in 2019.
This was a FONOP that denies Chinese territorial claims.
Air operations are a very obvious indicator that the movement was a FONOP and not innocent passage. Even a warship can meekly go in a straight line through territorial waters if you really have no other easy choice. In the Obama administration for a long time we conducted phony FONOPs.
Obama ended that practice eventually and Trump has accelerated the missions.
